Nightmares and Dreams
by iloveromance
Summary: During a weekend getaway at Ronee's boss' cabin in the mountains, Niles and Daphne must deal with the nightmares and dreams that invade their slumber. A romantic rewrite of the hilarious "Freudian Sleep" episode.
1. Chapter 1

"Who wants apple pie?"

Ronee's question received an enthusiastic response from the Crane family and she happily began dishing out slices of the homemade desert.

"Oh, this is wonderful, Ronee." Daphne said between mouthfuls of pie. "I was starving!"

Martin glanced at his daughter in law in disbelief. "How can you possibly be that hungry? We just ate dinner not three hours ago! And you ate like a horse!"

"Leave her alone, Dad! She's pregnant!" Niles said. Daphne's smile disappeared, prompting him to kiss her cheek in an effort to make it return.

"This pie is quite good, Ronee." Frasier agreed, taking another bite.

Ronee beamed with pride. "Well, thank you everyone. I guess I'm more domesticated than I thought."

"Actually we should be thanking you." Niles said. "It was so thoughtful of you to invite us to your boss's cabin for the weekend."

"Wasn't it though?" Ronee said; her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes in Martin's direction.

Finally Daphne pushed herself away from the table. "Well, I'm full. I think I can finally sleep now."

Martin feigned shock. "You're full already? I think there's still some food in the kitchen that you haven't eaten."

"Martin, leave Daphne alone!" Ronee warned, which instantly seemed to do the trick.

"Goodnight, all!" Niles said as he dutifully followed Daphne; holding her hand as she led him toward the bedroom.

"Goodnight Niles! Goodnight Daphne!" came the reply.

Niles and Daphne smiled at each other mischievously as they closed the door of their bedroom.

Within seconds, Niles pulled Daphne into his arms and kissed her deeply.

"Finally, we're alone and I have you all to myself." He said; his voice almost breathless.

But to his distress, Daphne pushed him away.

"I'm not in the mood." She said flatly.

The rejection stung, but seeing the hurt look on her face pained him even more. Still he should be used to her mood swings by now.

He'd seen enough patients who were expecting to understand that women could be extremely emotional during the last stages of pregnancy. And so right then and there, he vowed to be more receptive to his wife's feelings.

After all, he loved her more than he thought possible; even more so than when he first saw her in Frasier's condo, doing the laundry.

"I'm sorry, my love." He began quietly. "But perhaps my advances were the indirect result of how beautiful you look."

He half expected her to smile and kiss him deeply before initiating an evening of passion (albeit carefully) that they wouldn't soon forget. But instead she turned away and began to cry.

"Oh my angel..."

Just as he suspected, his gentle hand on her shoulder did nothing to ease her sadness.

It was then that his professional side kicked in. "Daphne, is this because of what Dad said to you earlier?"

"No..." She replied; her voice almost a whisper.

He sighed deeply, trying to remind himself that the mood swings were temporary, but that the end result was worth it; a son or daughter that he would love more than life itself.

It was still so hard to believe that he'd created a life with the woman of his dreams.

He'd imagined having children with Daphne a million times before and it was finally becoming a reality.

He turned to find his angel lying in bed reading one of her romance novels and he grinned, thinking of ways to make her forget all about the romantic love scenes that surely filled the pages.

But as soon as he climbed into bed, she accepted his kiss and turned out the light.

The moonlight cut through the darkness, illuminating her face with a soft glow that almost took his breath way.

He reached over and ran his fingers through her hair, releasing the scent of lavender and rose petals.

"My love, please don't let what Dad said about your appetite upset you." He said into her hair. "After all, our son or daughter needs nourishment to come into this world strong and healthy. I'm sorry he spoke to you in that manner, and I hope you'll accept my apology. You see... I'm feeling a bit lonely on this side of the bed."

His hand moved to her stomach and he smiled when he felt his child move.

"See Daphne? Even our unborn child says that you should forgive me. So what do you say?"

But she said nothing.

And it was with a slightly broken heart that he realized that she had fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Good morning, Darling." _

"_Daphne, my love!" _

_Daphne sighed at the sight of her husband. _

"_Oh, Frasier, I missed you so!"  
_

_"And I missed you and our child. How wonderful that you're bringing a new life into this world! That explains your enormous figure." _

"_Do you like it?" She beamed, placing her hand on her stomach._

_Frasier thought for a minute. "Not exactly." _

_Daphne's mouth fell open. "What?" _

_He took in his wife's appearance and shook his head in disbelief. "Well..."  
_

_Anger rose inside of her. "Are you saying that you don't find me attractive?"  
_

_He hesitated much... much too long before answering. "Frankly Daphne... No. I don't!" _

"_But how can you say that? I'm carrying our child!" Daphne protested. _

"_I realize that, my love... But you were so much prettier when you were thin!" _

_She continued to stare at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. _

"_That's a terrible thing to say to the woman you vowed to love for the rest of your life!"_

"_And I agree, but when we made those vows, I was more than happy to show you off to everyone! Now all I want to do is show you the door! But now that I look at you, I can't help but wonder if you can even fit through the door!"  
_

_She gasped in horror at his words. "Why are you saying these cruel things to me? Of course I can fit through the door! I'm not that-."  
_

_Suddenly, she began to grow... and grow... and grow..._

"_Bloody hell..." she mumbled. "The nerve of you sayin' that I can't fit through the door! Of course I can-."  
_

_She made her way to the door, forcing herself through, but it was no use. Her body continued to grow and grow until the feat proved impossible. _

"_Face it Daphne... You're huge!" _

_She turned to her now-estranged husband and scoffed. _

"_You're so different from your brother! Niles would never-."  
_

_"Niles is dead!" Frasier replied. "And I should know because..."  
_

_Daphne watched in confusion as Frasier went to the cupboard and pulled out a canister bearing his brother's name. _

"_... I killed him." _

_She nodded sadly. "That's right. And to think that he loved me for six years but never said a word!" _

"_And he'll never say another word ever again." Frasier finished. _

"_If only I had told him that I loved him too." Daphne said. "He was always so sweet... smellin me hair or noticin' me perfume or outfit."  
_

_"Ah, but you didn't." Frasier pointed out. "And now you're married to me."  
_

_He picked up the canister and unscrewed the top._

_With one forceful shake, the ashes of the man she loved floated out the door, carried away by the wind. _


	3. Chapter 3

"NILES!"

Daphne woke with a start, her heart racing as she looked around in the darkness.

Tears stung her eyes and in desperation she reached for her husband; overcome with unimaginable relief when she found him sleeping peacefully beside her.

Not only had he barely stirred following her outburst, but he was completely oblivious to the horrible nightmare she'd just experienced.

Still shaken, she climbed out of bed, careful not to wake her husband. She wanted so badly to awaken him; to have him hold her and tell her that everything would be all right.

No doubt their baby was shaken by the dream as well. The thought made her wonder if unborn children shared the same dreams as their mothers.

She knew that Niles would be ecstatic to talk about such a possibility. But more importantly, she hoped that with his interest in interpreting dreams; he could shed some light on her nightmare.

At any rate, there was no going back to sleep now.

With a sigh, she kissed Niles on the cheek and then padded into the kitchen where she made a cup of tea.

As she looked around in the dark, she shuddered. It was here in this very kitchen where that disturbing nightmare occurred.

When she finished her tea she returned to the bedroom, smiling when she saw Niles sleeping soundly.

He was so handsome.

Carefully she climbed back into bed and snuggled up next to him; drifting off to sleep within seconds.


	4. Chapter 4

"_Niles, can you feed the baby?"  
_

_"Of course, my angel!" _

_Niles walked over to where the baby lay in the enormous crib and leaned over to pick it up. To his horror, the bundle of joy slipped out of his hands and landed onto a large conveyor belt.  
_

_"Dear God!"_

"_Niles! The baby is hungry! Feed him already!" Daphne yelled. _

"_I will my love, just as soon as I-."  
_

_He stopped, gasping in horror when the conveyor belt moved faster and faster but when he reached for the baby it fell..._

_Down... down... down... and landed in an enormous apple pie. _

"_Niles! What about the baby?" Daphne yelled. _

"_I'm taking care of it, Daphne!" _

_Niles dove into the apple pie, eating his way through it in a desperate attempt to reach his child._

"_I'm here... Daddy's here." _

_He picked up his child only to have it slip out of his hands once more, falling down... down... down..._


	5. Chapter 5

Daphne bolted upright at her husband's scream and turned to find him sitting up in bed, trembling with fear.

"Niles!"

He looked at her and sighed deeply; his voice trembling when he spoke.

"Daphne, Oh God!"

"Oh Sweetheart come here."

When she took him into her arms, he began to cry; a sight that broke her heart. Feeling helpless, she held him close, rocking him back and forth as though he were a child.

"Shhh... It's okay, Darling. I'm here... You're safe."

"B-but the baby..."

"The baby's just fine, see?" Daphne smiled and gently placed Niles' hand on her stomach. "You've just had a horrible nightmare, but everything will be all right."

She continued to rub his back in a desperate effort to calm him, but he was still trembling.

"Daph-ne..." Niles said, his voice muffled by her embrace.

She stroked his hair, brushing the tears from his cheeks.

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"I'm going to be a terrible father! I... I can't..."

"That's nonsense! You're going to be a wonderful father! How could you even think that-."

And suddenly she knew.

"Niles, everything is okay. It was just a dream."

"But the baby... I dropped it!"

Daphne shuddered at the thought, but quickly reminded herself that it was just a dream. She couldn't let him see that it upset her.

"It was just a nightmare..." He repeated; his voice still trembling.

"That's right." Daphne said as soothingly as possible.

He swallowed hard and stared into her eyes, brushing a lock of hair from her face with his trembling hand.

"I-I'm sorry."

The words tore at her heart and she kissed him tenderly.

"Oh Sweetheart, don't be sorry. Just try to get some sleep."

He stared into her eyes, looking as though he might cry.

"I love you, Daphne."

"And I love you, Niles."

He held her close, kissing her deeply.

Daphne snuggled in his arms, sighing contentedly as he held her. Now she could finally get some sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"_Niles, are you going to fix the sink like I asked you to?"  
_

_He smiled proudly. "Actually, I went one step further and hired a professional!"  
Daphne's eyes widened when a tall blonde woman dressed in a brightly colored t-shirt and the shortest shorts she'd ever seen sauntered into the kitchen on Niles' arm.  
_

_"Who's this?"  
_

_"Oh! This is the plumber!" Niles said, unable to stop smiling. _

_When she didn't smile back, he frowned. "What's wrong?"  
_

_"Well, I've just never seen a plumber who looks like a supermodel before."  
_

_Ignoring the comment, his smile grew even bigger. "Oh! Before I forget, I called the cable company as well! Our cable is out."  
_

_Before Daphne could say a word, there was a knock on the door. _

"_There they are now"! _

_Happily Niles opened the door and grinned at the brunette and a red head who looked very similar to the plumber strolled in. Both were wearing baseball caps and very skimpy shirts and shorts.  
_

_"What do you think?" Niles asked.  
_

_"Um... Couldn't you have gotten a normal person to do this instead of slender, attractive women? Why didn't you ask me to help you fix the plumbing and the cable?" _

_Niles looked his very pregnant wife up and down. _

"_Do you really have to ask?"  
_

_Her jaw dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
_

_"I love you Daphne, but these women are thin and they're so much more attractive." _

_And to her horror, he grabbed the red head and kissed her passionately. _


	7. Chapter 7

Daphne's eyes flew open and she looked around the bedroom. Daylight had yet to break and she realized that she was no longer in Niles' arms.

When she glanced in his direction, she saw that he had moved away from her in the bed and was facing the opposite direction.

She reached for him, dismayed when he grabbed the blanket and pulled it closer to his body, paining her even further.

Ridiculously she bit back a sob and silently cried into her pillow, finally returning to a fitful sleep.

* * *

The Next morning

"_Breakfast!"_

The sound of Ronee's voice startled Daphne and she climbed out of bed. Niles was already up, pouring through some papers at the wooden desk near the window and looking quite handsome in his blue silk robe.

"Good morning my love." He said, giving her a kiss that was much too quick.

"Niles..." She said groggily. "What time is it?"

"It's still early." He said.

"What are you doing up already?"

"Oh, well I thought I'd go over a few patient files."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

He smiled and kissed her again. "I thought you could use some more beauty sleep."

It was meant in the sweet and romantic sense, but the comment was like a knife in her heart. She feigned a smile, fighting tears that were dangerously close to the surface.

"Thank you, Sweetheart."

She kissed him quickly, hoping that he wouldn't notice the quivering in her voice.

"_Breakfast! Last call!" _

"I suppose we'd better get in there." Niles said. "If her breakfast is anything like that dinner we had last night, then we're in for a treat!"

"I'm starving." Daphne replied.

Niles smiled and took her hand. "That makes three of us. Let's go."

They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table where the heavenly aroma of pancakes, waffles and bacon filled the air.

"Morning, all!" Niles said, helping Daphne into a chair.

"Breakfast coming right up!" Ronee said, dishing out the scrumptious breakfast.

Seconds after Daphne received her plate, she began to devour her food, amazed at how hungry she was.

"You'd better take it easy there, Daphne." Frasier chuckled. "If you keep eating like that, you're going to have a pretty hefty baby in a few months!"

Daphne looked at her brother in law in dismay. "What?"

"I said..."

But Daphne burst into tears and ran out of the cabin.


	8. Chapter 8

The kitchen was eerily silent as everyone looked at each other in shock.  
"What was that all about?" Ronee asked.

Frasier glanced worriedly at his little brother.

"Dear God Niles, I am sorry. I was just trying to add a little humor to the situation and-."

Niles smiled and patted his older brother's back. "It's all right."

Frasier rose from his chair. "I'll go and talk to her."

"No, Frasier. I'll go."

Niles tightened the belt on his robe and walked out of the cabin, wincing at the cold air. Almost as an afterthought, he returned and grabbed a plaid blanket from the sofa before heading out again.

"Daphne!"

His eyes searched the porch and the front yard for the woman he loved, but when he found no sign of her, panic set in.

"Daphne!" he yelled louder.

Just as he was about to call for help, he spotted her sitting on an old wooden bench, causing his heart to race even faster.

He moved closer; stopping suddenly when he noticed that she was sobbing into her hands; shivering from the cold.

The sight was enough to break his heart in two.

In one fluid motion he went to her, draping the blanket around her shoulders.

"Thank you." She said in a barely audible voice.

He smiled and sat down beside her; his heart aching at the sight of her tear-streaked face.

"What's wrong, my love?"

Her lower lip trembled, prompting him to caress her cheek.

"Oh Niles..." She sobbed, falling against his chest.

"My angel, what's happened?"

"I look awful!" she cried. "I'm bloated, overweight and completely unattractive!"

Niles sighed deeply, suddenly angry at his brother for making Daphne feel this way.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry. Frasier would never say anything to hurt you. He was just trying to be funny. Of course it's not funny now. I can't stand to see you this upset. It tears at my heart. You're none of those things you mentioned."

She raised her head and glanced at her body. "Look at me! I'm as big as a house!"

When she began to sob again, he took her in his arms and rubbed her back; his chest hurting at the pain in her eyes.

"Shhh... It's all right. I love you, and I will _always_ love you, no matter-."

She cried even more, prompting him to draw her closer. "Oh Daphne, please don't cry."

"But those nightmares... they were so real!"

He stared at her; the smile on his face replaced with concern. "What nightmares?"

"The ones I had all last night! Oh Niles, they were awful! I was so scared!"

"My angel, what happened?"

"Well I was married to your brother and I was so big that I couldn't fit through the door! And when he told me you were dead, I realized that I never had a chance to tell you how much I loved you."

He sighed and kissed her cheek, wishing he could calm her. "Shhh... It's all right."

But she trembled beneath his touch. "A-and then you brought all these women over... models really and you told me that because of me size you didn't' find me attractive anymore!"

Niles pulled her so close that he could feel her heart beating along with his.

"Daphne, nothing could be further than the truth. I will always love you, no matter what your size, but especially the way you are now."

Slowly she drew back and looked into his sea blue eyes. "Y-you do?"

"Of course. You're carrying our child and I can't tell you how happy that makes me; how long I've dreamed of creating a new life with you."

Daphne touched his cheek and then kissed him deeply. "I love you, Niles."

"And I love you, my angel."


	9. Chapter 9

They held each other for several minutes until Daphne shivered from a gust of wind.

"Let's go back inside." Niles said.

Hand in hand they returned to the cabin where they were immediately greeted by Frasier.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry. That was completely insensitive of me."

She sighed, leaning into Frasier's hug. "It's all right. I am a bit large."  
Frasier placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're beautiful, Daphne."

"Thank you, Frasier." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

"There's plenty of food left, so why don't we sit down and eat?"

When Niles gently guided Daphne to the table she turned to him and shook her head.

"Actually Ronee, I'm a bit tired."

Niles smiled knowingly. "Well, why don't we take a nice long nap? We could both use it."

"But what about-."

"It's fine, isn't it Ronee? Frasier?"

"Of course Martin. Daphne, you look exhausted. Hon, why didn't you tell me you were having trouble sleeping?"

"I'll be all right, Ronee." Daphne said.

"Well go on. We promise not to disturb you." Frasier said.  
"Thanks Frasier." Niles replied.

Niles and Daphne joined hands and went to their bedroom, eager to share what they hoped would be a restful slumber.

As Niles held her close, Daphne leaned her head against his chest, sighing when he kissed her cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me about these nightmares?" Niles asked, unable to resist smelling her hair.

"You were so upset by that nightmare you had about the baby that I just couldn't. I'm so sorry that happened, Niles."

He shuddered slightly as though remembering the horrible events of the nightmare, prompting her to pull him even closer.

"Daphne-."  
But she silenced him with a kiss.

"Hush... No more talk about bein' a bad father because it's just not possible1 You're going to be a wonderful father!"

Tears formed in Niles' eyes and he kissed her deeply. "Thank you, Daphne."

Daphne laid her head against his chest sighing contentedly as they drifted off to sleep; the rain falling in a steady rhythm outside their window.

If this wasn't Heaven, it sure came close.


	10. Chapter 10

Hours later, Daphne's eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room in confusion. Outside the rain still fell, but something was definitely different.

Then she remembered...

Her dream... it had been so real...

But when she touched her stomach, she knew that it was impossible. The baby was still inside of her and yet...

She turned to find Niles propped on his elbow, staring at her with a blissful look on his face.

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're the most beautiful angel I've ever seen."

The words made her sigh and she blinked back tears. "Oh Niles..."

He continued to look at her, but his smile disappeared. "Is something wrong?"

She sat upright in bed and blinked. "I-I'm not sure."

"Did you have another bad dream, my love?"

"N-no not a bad dream. It was so strange. It wasn't like a dream at all. It was almost like a..."

"A what?"

"A vision. But that's ridiculous, isn't it?"

Niles smiled and kissed her forehead. "Well, I shamefully admit that I used to think so, but I suppose it's possible. In fact, I had a rather strange dream myself."

"You did?"

"Yes, and I can't seem to find a way to interpret it."

"Well you could share it with me." Daphne grinned.

"You first." Niles said with a smile.

"All right. "Well... It was a warm, sunny day and I was outside."

Her heart warmed when he once more propped himself up on his elbow and smiled at her.

"And then what?"

"Well... We were running and holding onto a child's hand. I-I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl but I knew it was our child. I'm not sure how I knew, but I just _knew_. All of a sudden we came to the most beautiful garden I'd ever seen. It was full of these flowers that I can't quite-."

"Roses." Niles finished. "And tulips. I never knew there were so many shades of-."

"H-How did you know about-."

They stared at each other in stunned amazement.

"Dear God..."

"Do you think it's possible...?"

"I-I don't know but it appears that we were having the same dream." Niles said, still in a state of disbelief.

"B-but how..."

Niles could only shrug.

Suddenly a mischievous smile crossed Daphne's face and she ran her finger down Niles cheek.

"You know... I'm not very tired anymore."

"You're not?"

"No... But I think we should spend the rest of the day exploring our dreams."

"Well, that shouldn't take very long."

"Really, and why is that, Dr Crane?"

Niles took her in his arms; their mouths just inches apart.

"Because you've already made my dreams come true."

As they fell into the pillows the rain provided the perfect backdrop to an already perfect evening.

**THE END**


End file.
